Tracer mixture



atcnteol July 7, l

LOUIS HENDLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR T SECRETART OF WAR AND HIS SUCCESSORS IN- OFFICE IN TRUST FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

'rRaonR MIXTURE.

No Drawing.

Application filed October 22, 1923. Serial No. 670,09&.

(GRANTED D'NDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1883; 22 STAT. I. 625.)

The invention described herein may be used by the Government, or any of its officers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon, in accordance with the act of March 3, 1883.

The subject of my invention is a tracer mixture.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a mixture which will burn with a brilliant color so as to clearly mark the path of the projectile which contains it.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of ingredients hereinafter described and claimed, itbeing understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A mixture such as forms-the subject of my invention will consist essentially of a salt of an alkali earth metal havinga characteristic color of burning, a second salt acting as an oxidizing agent but which also preferably though not necessarily will have the same characteristic color of burning, a suitable fuel and a binder. To these ingredients, if it is desired to increase the brilliancy of the flame, may be added suitable oxidizing compounds.

A mixture which has proven successful in practice is one such as prepared according to the following formula:

Parts. Strontium nitrate Strontium carbonate 2 i 40 Magnesium l 25' Gum arabic 23' .Magn esium l. 25

able barium compounds as in the following mixture:

The proportions of the ingredients cited i in either of the formulae given above may be altered by the addition of a suitable oxidizing agent where it is desirable to augment the" brilliancy' of the characteristic flame. So, if desired, a suitable amount of potassium nitrate Orother oxidizing material may be added directly to either of the above mixtures as in the composition: v

- Parts.

' Strontium nitrate 5Q Strontium carbonate 2 Gum arabic 23 Potassium nitrate 5 flame, as in the composition:

Parts.

Strontium nitrate 5O Strontium carbonate 2 Magnesium 25 Calcium resinate 15 Potassium nitrate 5 The calcium resinate may be employed also with the green burning composition as m the formula:

7 Parts. Barium nitrate Bar um carbonate 2 Parts. Magnesium 25 Calcium resinate 15 burnin Potassium nitrate is a powerful, quick oxidizing agent. It is sometimes prefera le to use a slower burning oxidizer. For this purpose, red lead or any equivalent Potassium nitrate compound may be employed. A composition which has proved successful in practice and which is somewhat less powerful and slower burning than those given above is as follows:

Parts. Barium nitrate 60 Barium carbonate 2 Magnesium 25 Calcium resinate 15 Potassium nitrate 4 Red lead 7 in the proper proportions.

The ingredients used and the proportions employed may be varied, moreover, within wide limits as will be clear to those skilled in the art. It has been found that aluminum inate.

powder or any other suitable fuel may be substituted for the magnesium and give satisfactory results. For gum arabic any other suitable binder may be employed and in those mixturesin which calcium resinate is used, other resinates or other compositions having similar properties, may be substituted. Very good results have been obtained with the use of lead resinate and barium res- The amount of resinate used in these mixtures will depend entirely upon the pniity of the substituted resinate.

Tracer mixtures made according to any one of the formulae given above are especially satisfactory for use with .30 and .50 caliber projectiles. My invention, however, is by no means limited to this use, nor, indeed, is it confined to use with tracers since .any one of these mixtures may be employed in the manufacture of other pyrotechnic compositions whether military or industrial.

I claim:

1.- A tracer composition including a nitrate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of the same metal, magnesium, potassium nitrate, red lead and calcium resinate.

2. A tracer composition including a nitrate'of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of the same metal, magnesium, potassium ni- M trate, red lead and a resinate.

'3. A tracer composition including a ni-' trate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of the same metal, a suitable fuel, potassium nitrate, red lead and a resinate.

nitrate and a resinate.

6. A tracer composition including a nitrate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of the same metal, a suitable fuel, an oxidizing agent other than the nitrate or carbonate and a resinate.

7. A tracer composition including a nitrate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of the same metal, magnesium, potassium nitrate, red lead and a binder.

8. A tracer composition including a nitrate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of the same metal, a suitable fuel, potassium nitrate, red lead and a binder.

9. A tracer composition including a nitrate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of the same metal, magnesium, potassium nitrate and a binder.

10. A tracer composition including a nitrate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of the same metal, a suitable fuel, potassium nitrate and a binder.

11. A tracer composition including a nitrate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of the same metal, a suitable fuel, an oxidizing salt of an alkali metal and a binder.

12. A tracer composition including a nitrate of an alkali earth metal with a carbonate of the same metal, a suitable fuel, an oxidizing agent other than the nitrate or carbonate and a binder.

13. A tracer composition including a nitrate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate of an alkali earth metal, a suitable fuel, an oxidizing agent other than the nitrate or carbonate and a binder.

14. A tracer composition including an inorganic oxidizing salt that will give a co ored flame upon ignition, a second inorganic oxidizing salt, an oxidizing agent other than-the salts named, a suitable fuel and a binder.

15. A tracer composition including an inorganic oxidizing salt that will give a colored flame upon ignition, a second in organic oxidizing salt that will also give a colored flame upon i 'tion, an oxidizing agent other than the sa ts named, a suitable fuel and a binder.

16. A tracer composition including one alt of an alkali earth metal adapted to burn with a characteristic color, another salt an alkali earth metal, a suitable fuel, an of the same alkali earth metal adapted to oxidizing agent and a binder.

burn With a characteristic color, a suitable 18. A tracer composition including a nil i'uel, an oxidizing agent and a binder. trate of an alkali earth metal, a carbonate 5 17. A tracer composition including one of the same metal, a suitable fuel and a salt of an alkali earth metal adapted to burn binder.

with a characteristic color, another salt of LOUIS HENDLER. 

